


Conversations and Silly Confrontations

by five2ndrule



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Cupcakes and superheroes, F/F, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-05
Updated: 2011-10-05
Packaged: 2019-05-15 00:03:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14779805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/five2ndrule/pseuds/five2ndrule
Summary: Just a silly little story about a birthday, a snowstorm, one child's favorite super hero, and some cupcakes.This was finished years ago, I just wanted to share. :)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing! (and I am owned by my muse)  
> I do tend to borrow somethings sometimes, but I promise to put them back where I found them when I'm done.  
> (I'll even alphabetize them upon return if that's what tickles your fancy)

"The night sky was dark." the woman whispered menacingly.

"How dark?" came the hushed reply.

Peeking over the top of the novel, Callie raised an eyebrow. "We've read this book a million times, mija, you know the entire thing by heart."

With a huff, the child rolled her eyes. "You're not doin' it right, Momma."

"Sorry."

"Mommy always says, 'never say sorry if you don't really mean it'." the girl quoted, complete with tsking finger and serious face.

"You're getting way too good at that." the Latina chuckled.

After throwing her arms into the air dramatically, Sofia poked her mother's leg. "Come on, Momma!"

"Right, right. Sorry, my little knucklehead." Looking up, she caught a glare. "What? I meant it that time."

"Mommy says nick names can be hurtful."

Callie rolled her eyes. "That's just because she doesn't like it when your dad calls her 'Blondie'." she pointed out.

Continuing her glare, the girl added a heavy sigh and an arm cross. "You're 'posed to be nice, Momma."

"Exactly what part of that was about ME being mean?"

"Momma!" the girl huffed. "You're bein' a bad sample."

"Bad EX-sample, mija. I am not a piece of cheese." Callie laughed lightly.

Sofia eyed her mother carefully. "What kind of cheese?"

"Maybe we do spend too much time together." the Latina smirked, kissing the top of her daughter's head.

"Besides," she continued. "Although some nicknames are meant to hurt or tease, most are said with love, and those are the ones that are okay to say."

The child looked thoughtful. "Like when Mommy calls me baby girl?"

"Exactly, sweetie."

The girl quickly made a face, then grinned. "I guess that one's okay too."

"No more Knucklehead?" her mother's lip quivered as she pouted. "How about Joint-in-the-finger?"

Sofia rolled her eyes again. "They're the same thing, Momma."

"Okaaay. How about Princess?"

"Momma! I'm too big for Princess!" the girl huffed.

"You're never too big to be a princess, mija." her mother smiled as she kissed her forehead. "Alright, come on big girl, it's past your bedtime."

"But...but...you said I could stay up late!" the child scoffed as she was tucked in.

"I did, and you have. It's 9 o'clock, mija." Callie pointed to the girl's bugs bunny clock.

"I can't tell time!"

"Yes you can."

"Oh..." Sofia shrugged. "Can I stay up later?"

"No."

"Can I stay up just 'til Mommy gets home?"

"No."

"Can I have a glass of water?"

"You have one right beside you." The Latina pointed out, smirking as the girl leaned over to inspect the contents of the cup.

"Can I have a new one?"

"No."

"Can I..."

"Go to sleep, Sofia." Callie's Momma voice took over as she slowly closed the door, being sure to leave it cracked and the hallway light on. Satisfied, she started down the hall.

"Momma!"

She turned to find her daughter peeking out from behind her baby blue doorway. "Yes, mija?"

"Can we read some more?" the girl asked, sticking her arm through the opening and waving the book about.

"No we can't, Sofia. It's bed time."

The girl pinched her face in thought suddenly. "How come Mommy doesn't like it when Dad calls her 'Blondie' but she stills calls him a manwh..."

"SOFIA ROBBIN SLOAN TORRES!"

Her daughter threw her arms into the air. "WE'RE NOT 'POSED TO YELL IN THE HOUSE, MOMMA!"

"THEN STOP YELLING!"

"YOU STARTED IT!" the child pointed out before placing her wrist to her forehead and sighing dramatically. "I can't sleep now."

With a roll of dark eyes, Callie held out her hand. "One chapter."

"Yay!"

Armed with the novel under one arm, she picked up her daughter with the other. Hoisting the now giggling girl over her shoulder, she walked them back to the child's bed. Once Sofia was tucked back in to satisfaction, she curled up close to her mother.

"From the beginning?" she asked sweetly.

"Seriously?"

"Yes, Momma." she yawned widely then added, "Please?"

"Fine." her mother agreed, turning to the first page. "And thank you for saying please." she felt her daughter nod.

"The night was dark." she started, her voice low.

"How dark?" came the half awake response.

"It was as dark as the souls of evil doers." she whispered, smiling as she felt her daughter snuggle closer.

"And once again, the Evil Professor, Vile Niltha was up to no good." they said in unison just before the child fell asleep.

* * *

 

The icy rain tapped the glass in tune with some old, forgotten melody. The forecast called for snow, and seemed like it wanted to keep that promise. Somewhere along the way the cable had gone out, leaving a grumbling Latina continuously switching between the 3 remaining channels. When her frustration finally won over, she turned off the T.V. with a growl and flung the remote. With a huff, she wiggled down into the couch, trying to find some sort of comfort. But, was she shifted from one side to the next and back, it became apparent that there was none to be found. With a sigh, she picked herself up and mosied over to the window, frowning at the sight.

The sky looked pissed, and quite frankly, it was really starting to dampen her mood. "Please be safe." she whispered to the darkened world outside, hoping it cared enough to listen. As if on cue, the door behind her opened, and as she turned she couldn't help but smile. There, in the dimly lit doorway, stood a very wet, half frozen Peds surgeon, holding a plastic container and a broken duckie umbrella.

"So...how was your walk home?" she approached cautiously.

Placing both hands on her hips, the blonde glared. "Really Calliope? Really?"

Gesturing to herself, she huffed, dropped the now useless umbrella to the floor, and began to peel her jacket off before shoving the container into the Latina's hands. "Here."

"My cupcakes!" smiling brightly, The Latina leaned down and wrapped her arms around the shorter woman, placing a kiss upon her cold lips."I love you."

The blonde looked skeptical. "You love the cupcakes."

"Yes, I do." she beamed. "But, you're the one that brought me cupcakes, therefore, I love you as well." she explained, kissing her wife again.

Arizona became thoughtful. "I'm not sure if I want love by association."

"You should take what you can get." Callie stated with a soft chuckle. Her mirth turning into an outright laugh when she felt a slap to her ass.

The blonde chuckled as she snuggled further into her wife's warmth. "I missed you guys." she sighed contently before pulling back a little, making sure to keep her hands inside the Latina's pockets where it was warm.

"Did you have any trouble getting her to sleep?"

"A little. I mean, she is kind of an evil genius." Callie pointed out.

"She got you to let her stay up again, didn't she?" Arizona chuckled.

The Latina shrugged. "She usually gets what she wants, just like her mom."

"Because her mother's a big softie." the blonde teased.

"I am not! You take that back!"

Arizona laughed as she kissed her now pouting wife. "Face it and embrace it, Calliope."

"Pfffft." The Latina made a face, then smiled brightly. "Our daughter's birthday is tomorrow." she whispered.

"I know! I'm so excited!" the blonde exclaimed, bouncing up and down on her toes. "For her, I mean." she sobered. "I'm excited for her."

"Oh, of course." the brunette nodded.

The Peds surgeon frowned briefly. "You think the weather will hold?"

"God, I hope not. I plan to see palm trees by mid morning." the Latina kissed her wife's nose, earning her a chuckle.

"So, you know I have to ask..." the blonde turned, walking towards their room. "Why did Baily make you sprinkle cupcakes?" hearing herself, she shook her head. "No, wait. Back up. I need you to start with the how. HOW did you get Miranda Bailey to make you sprinkle cupcakes?"

Candle in hand, the taller woman followed. "She owed me a favor." she shrugged.

Arizona rolled her eyes. "Do I even want to know?"

"Probably not."

The blonde turned to narrow her eyes at her wife's bird eating grin. "Okaaaay, now to the why..."

"I like cupcakes."

"I don't think that explained anything outside of your head, Calliope." she replied as she kicked of her shoes.

"Last week, we bought our daughter a cake." the Latina explained. "Or, really, you bought a cake because you wouldn't get the one I wanted."  
Arizona rolled her eyes at her wife's pout.

"Callie, how many times do I have to tell you, Cookie Monster is YOUR favorite, not Sofia's." she reasoned. "She likes Spongebob."

"Whatever. I still think we should have voted."

"I'm going to need you to focus."

"Right. So, you got this mediocre yellow sea sponge cake, which could have been this really great blue..."

"Let it go, babe."

"But it was frickin' cute!"

"Fine. I'll get you one for your birthday, okay?"

"I think I can deal with that." Callie nodded happily. "Now, anyway, you know how much I like cake. Cake is the best. Second only, of course, to cupcakes." Bringing the container to eye level, she smiled before making it dance. "Because cupcakes are just like cake, with all their glorious deliciousness, only smaller and conveniently portable." She added, beginning to moving her head in time with the treats.

The blonde stopped unbuttoning her shirt and knit her brow. "I'm not really sure that explains..."

The brunette carefully placed her plastic treasure chest inside their top dresser drawer before turning back to the blonde.

"Did you, or did you not say, and I quote: 'Do not touch this cake, Calliope. It's for Sofia's birthday, Calliope.' "She quoted, being sure to incorporate a pointing finger and a head bob.

The blonde smirked. "Is that what I sound like in your head?"

"Yes, but only when you're being a meanie." the brunette stuck her tongue out before starting to unbutton where her wife left off.

"I think you spend too much time with our daughter." The blonde chuckled softly, undoing her belt. "How about we long story short this, and skip ahead to the point?"

The Latina shrugged as she helped the other woman out of her jeans. "You brought me cupcakes so I won't try and eat the cake."

"Oh. Well then, I'm a genius." Arizona stated as she pulled off her shirt en route to start the shower.

"I have always thought so." the brunette called after her.

"Ha! Suck up!" came from the other room right before blonde curls reappeared around the corner suddenly. "You still owe me a new umbrella though."

"Whatever the lady wishes." Callie replied with a deep bow, her smile growing as the blonde stepped closer.

"I want one with butterflies!" Arizona laughed, grabbing the front of her wife's tank top, pulling her towards the running water.

 


	2. Chapter 2

The morning came with the storm still looming. Although the sun was trying it's best to warm the city, it was very clearly being easily overwhelmed by the sheer multitude of nasty clouds. Not that it wasn't putting up a good fight, mind you, but the war had been raging for hours and it just did not seem like victory was obtainable by the solar team.

Arizona opened her daughter's door slowly, a deep sigh escaping her lips as she saw the child sitting at the window, forehead pressed against the glass. Although the world outside was beautiful, the defeated look of her little girl made it's beauty quickly seem to fade. Gathering up her courage, she walked forward slowly, joining Sofia at the window.

"I'm not sure if your friends are gonna make it, baby girl."

"I know, Mommy." the child sighed heavily.

"You do?"

The young girl shrugged. "If I'm not allowed to play outside, I guess it'd be hard for everyone to get here." she reasoned.

"You sound more and more grown up every day, mija." came from the doorway.

Arizona turned to see her wife leaning on the door frame, cell phone in hand. Once blue eyes met dark brown, a sad smile appeared on the brunette as she shook her head, sealing the fate of their only child's birthday party.

The Peds surgeon watched as the other woman nodded her head into the phone, saying 'No, we understand.' as she walked towards the kitchen. With a heavy sigh of her own, the blonde placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Hey, baby girl, listen. I know this is not what you wanted, but sometimes these things happen." her heart broke a little at the slight nod she received. "Hey..." she smiled as an idea hit her. "What does your grandfather always say?"

"A good soldier is always prepared?" the girl turned, confused.

"Okay, other grandfather." her mom chuckled.

"Always work hard, and try to find the good?" she quoted, trying her best to sound like her Papa.

"Exactly! Nicely quoted by the way." Arizona beamed. "Now, how about we go about trying to find some good?"

"Like what?"

"Well, it could be anything, really. Anything at all that makes you happy." the blonde stated, gesturing towards her daughter. "Like, as of right now, what would switch that beautiful smile back into on mode?"

"If Zola could come." the child replied sadly earning her a kiss to her forehead.

"I know baby and I'm sorry. I know she's your best friend." Arizona smiled sadly. "Hey...why don't we go see about calling her? I'm sure she'd at least want to talk to you."

"Really?" the girl bounced around a little. "REALLY, Really?"

Arizona couldn't help but laugh at her daughter's antics. "Yes. REALLY, really."

"Yay!" Sofia cheered as she took off, only to run right smack into her Mother around the corner, who somehow prevented the girl from falling backwards.

"Hey! Whoa. Why the hurry, Mini me?" Callie asked as she stood her daughter back upright. Her brows fusing as instead of answering, the child quickly started to search her pockets. "Is there a reason I'm being attacked?" she asked her wife as the blonde came into view, trying to hide her smile behind her hand.

"I told her that she could call Zola." Arizona explained.

"Oh, I see." The Latina nodded. "I should have known this had something to do with you." she teased her wife as she tried to shoo away the assaulting hands.

"Sofia." she warned, smiling when she finally got the girl's full attention. "I know you're excited, mija, but what would have been a better way to do this?"

"I should have asked you, Momma." the child sighed.

"That's right. Besides, you know that either me or your mom has to dial for you, and then talk to one of Zola's parents. That's the rule."

"Yes, ma'am." the girl turned her gaze to the floor.

"Your mother's right, Baby girl. We just want to keep you safe." Arizona added, kissing the child's head.

"I know, Mommy."

"All right, glad that's settled. Now..." The Latina said and pushed 'send', smiling as she watched their daughter go back to bouncing around. "One best friend conversation about krabby patties and jellyfishing coming right up."

* * *

  
A few mintues later, with their daughter in the living room slowly killing their whenever minutes, Sofia's parents took a moment to analyze the day so far, and prepare for the near furture.

"This sucks Arizona! She's been looking forward to her birthday for weeks!" the taller woman protested as she started going through their closet, looking for the child's hidden gifts.

"I know, Calliope, I know. I mean, she even talked us into letting them have a sleep over, for crying out loud." the blonde replied from her position half underneath the bed where she was pulling out boxes.

"Yeah, well, at least she still gets to talk to Zola." Callie pointed out. "Wait..." she paused briefly as thought struck her. "How did she manage to talk us into a sleep over, again?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at her wife.

"She had a chart." the blonde looked up and shrugged.

"Oh yeah." the Latina chuckled. "She gets that from you." she narrowed her eyes and pointed towards her wife.

"If you're talking about her awesome abilities of organization and persuasiveness, then yes, yes she does." the blonde smiled, dimples displayed in victory.

"HEY! What about me?" the brunette pouted. "I'm a frickin' rockstar!"

Arizona looked thoughtful. "I think our daughter is a little young to be a badass, Calliope." she stated before returning to the lost sock haven.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I've been one my entire life." Callie replied, strutting her way back to the bed, newly recovered gifts in hand. After placing the boxes in the safety of the pillow region, she crawled her way towards the other side to peek down at the blonde. All she could really see from her current angle, however, was a rather nice, jean clad butt, causing her to grin mischievously as she slowly raised her hand.

"I'm quite certain that being a badass and being a pain in one are not the same thing." Arizona called through the dust as she felt the bed shift above her. Bringing her head out from under the bed suddenly, she glared at the Latina. "And don't you dare smack my ass!"

The blonde kept her warning face on until the wide eyed brunette lowered her arm completely. Bursting into laughter, she pulled her wife to her by the front of her shirt, smiling as their lips meet. Their tongues danced together briefly before Callie pulled back suddenly, brow drawn in thought.

"What do you think she gets from Mark?"

"Is that really what you're thinking about right now?" the blonde groaned.

"It was just a thought." the brunette shrugged before leaning back down towards waiting lips.

"Hey! Zola said that maybe we can...Oh, come on you guys! Gross!"

They both turned in time to see Sofia standing in the doorway with Callie's phone in one hand and using her favorite super hero book to shield her eyes with the other. They both giggled softly as they watched their daughter turn and stumble away quickly, using the hand not holding her protective eye wear in place as a guide.

"The uncanny ability to interrupt kisses. That's what she gets from Mark." Arizona stated with a smirk.

From around the corner, a small head popped back into view. "Dad's still coming?"

"He lives across the hall. He better be coming." the blonde grumbled, then tried to look innocent as she caught the warning look from her wife. "I mean...yay, Mark." she added quickly, raising her hands and halfheartedly wiggling her fingers in celebration.

Callie rolled her eyes quickly before turning back to their daughter. "He'll be here, mija, don't worry." she smiled.

"Awesome!" Sofia announced, before skipping off.

"Yay! She said awesome!" the blonde cheered, raising her arms in victory. "I think she likes me best." she whispered smugly.

With yet another roll of dark eyes in so many minutes, Callie grabbed a nearby pillow and dropped it on the now giggling Peds surgeon, who just laughed and put it under her head.

"HEY! THERE'S CUPCAKES!" their daughter yelled from the kitchen.

The Latina turned suddenly pale as she rushed to their dresser, gasping as she opened the top drawer. "You stole my cupcakes!" she whispered harshly, trapping her wife in a death glare.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "You can share with our daughter, Calliope."

"But...but..."

"Hmm, yes, I see your point." Arizona chuckled as she watched her wife do an excellent impersonation of an irate child, complete with stomping feet and pouty face. "Oh, well, NOW I'm convinced." she laughed, watching as the taller woman stuck her tongue out, which just made her laugh that much harder.

After having her fill of pouting, Callie went back to the task at hand. A task which in the near future would probably include securing the rest of her precious cupcakes in a safe, but right now only meant making their daughter happy on her birthday. It was the only thing that really mattered today, so the cupcakes could wait just a few more minutes.

"All right, all right. Come on chuckles," Callie said, helping the snickering blonde up. "We still have a birthday breakfast to make and a whole party supply store's worth of decorations to put up." she pointed out as she started towards the door, grabbing the brightly colored, store bought monstrosities on her way. "Oh, and it's your job is to keep the kid out of stuff." she called over her shoulder.

"You mean it's my job is to keep YOU out of stuff." Arizona continued laughing as she grabbed the rest of the party supplies.

"That's what I said." came the reply from the hallway.


	3. Chapter 3

It was now just a little after eleven, and the aftermath of the pancake birthday breakfast with bacon, fruit and whipped cream could clearly be seen. There was even quite a few leftovers as Callie herself did not even try to eat the healthy parts. After all, she was saving room for cupcakes.

The three of them had finished putting the decorations up beforehand, and now, from this angle, The Latina thought it sort of looked like a cartoon channel blew up. There was Spongebob of course, some Dora, some Fairly Odd Parents, heck there was even some Phineas and Ferb napkins. Armed with a flowery handtowel, Callie pushed the latter out of her pathway of cleaning. Glancing over them, she frowned slightly, before bringing one up to her face to inspect. "Oh, there you are, Perry." she quoted as she finally spotted the platypus.

Coming back to herself, she tried to pretend she wasn't just talking to a party favor, and instead turned her attention to the living room. With the dishes newly defeated, and most of the breakfast mess in retreat, she figured she had earned a break anyway. Happily munching on a cupcake, she smiled as she watched her wife sit with Sofia in her lap, each taking turns reading to the other.

"Just then, the Evil Professor Vile Niltha appeared and said..." the child stopped and nudged her mom. "Do the voice, Mommy." she whispered. "Please?"

Arizona smiled, then cleared her throat to do as she was asked. "You'll never stop me now, Justice brat! All the world's ice cream is mine!" she read, her voice low and rough.

"The name is Justice Girl!" Sofia shouted. "And you'll never win Professor! The ice cream is staying where it belongs, in the hands of all the good children of the world!"

"We'll see about that!" Arizona cackled, before placing the book down and grabbing her daughter. "You're no match for my pet monster, Mr. Tickles!" she joined Sofia in laughter as the child tried to push her hands away.

"Mommy! Stop!" the girl squealed. "That's not how it goes!" she managed between breaths.

"You're right. I think I like this ending MUCH better."

"Momma! Help!"

"Oh, no." came from the kitchen. "I stay away from tickle monsters, mija. You're on your own."

Rolling her eyes, Sofia quickly tried another approach. "Please?...Please stop?" she yelled, continuing to squirm. "I SAID PLEASE!"

"Please stop what, Baby girl?" Arizona asked smugly, only slowing down her assault slightly.

"PLEASE STOP TICKLING ME!"

"Oh, no! Asking politely is Mr. Tickles only weakness!" Arizona smiled as she laid her newly defeated hand on the couch, making it switch slightly.

"Yay! I win!" Sofia cheered before starting her own tickle attack.

"Hey! No Fair!" the blonde squealed as she tried in vain to get away. "Calliope!" she called. "Your daughter is cheating!"

"She is not, don't be a sore loser." Callie laughed as she came to stand behind the couch. "Her feet! Get her feet, Sofia!"

"Oh that is SO not fair!" the blonde laughed, quickly pulling her legs underneath herself.

"Now who's cheating." her wife smirked.

"Shut up, Calliope." Arizona said, sticking out her tongue. "Okay! Okay! I give up! You win!" she proclaimed, hands raised in surrender.

"Yay team Torres!" Callie said, highfiving their giggling daughter.

"Yay team us!" Sofia exclaimed, turning her attention to the losing party. "Mommy, you can be on our team, too."

"Yay me!" the blonde cheered. "Even though I kinda thought I already was."

The child eyed her. "Yeah, but if you're REALLY on our team, why did you get me?"

Her mom gasped. "It wasn't me! It was Mr. Tickles!" she cried, pointing to her hand.

"She's right, mija, that hand is not to be trusted."

Arizona opened her mouth quickly, retort ready, but then shut it just as fast. There was no way she was saying that in front of their daughter. Catching her wife's smirk, she scowled playfully. She had been set up.

"Well, okaaay...I guess." Sofia looked thoughtful then nodded. "But you'll just haveta learn to control yourself better, Mommy." she warned, missing the newly red face behind the couch that was desperately trying not to laugh out loud.

"I'll do my best." the Peds surgeon promised, shooting a look towards her wife. "Hey!" She smiled brightly, the light bulb in her head clicking on. "Why don't you ask your Momma if you can open a present? She knows which one."

"I do?" came the reply from behind the couch as the slightly discolored brunette slowly came back into the child's view.

Turning towards her wife, Arizona smiled as she saw the package the Latina was holding.

"Is it that one?" Sofia asked in wonder. "Can I have it?"

"Have what?" her mother asked innocently.

"My present, Momma!" the girl huffed.

Looking on, Arizona smirked as she got more comfortable.

"How do you know it's yours, mija? It could be for the goldfish."

"Because it says 'Happy Birthday Sofia' and we don't have a goldfish!" the child pointed out, rolling her eyes.

"We don't have a goldfish because she packed her little suitcase and ran away." Callie said, matter-of-factly. "I was hoping maybe this would make her want to come back." her lip quivered as she wiped away an invisible tear.

Groaning to herself, the blonde decided to stop the maddness. "Just give her the present, Calliope."

"Ooo, saved by the ref." Callie teased, sticking out her tongue, a gesture her daughter happily mirrored.

"Alright, you two." the blonde tsked. Reaching up, she took the gift from her wife and handed it to Sofia. "This is from your Momma and Me." she beamed, bringing her left hand up to intertwine with the taller brunette's.

"It's a bomb." Callie stage whispered, causing their daughter to eye the package suspiciously and earning her a smack on the arm from her wife. "It's filled with glitter." she continued, unfazed. "It's a glitter bomb! You'll be sparkly for years! People will think you're a vampire! Oh! My poor baby!" she wailed dramatically.

"Maybe I don't want it then..." the youngest Torres hesitated slightly before trying to hand the gift back to her mom, who rolled her eyes.

"It's not a bomb of any kind, baby girl. Your mother just needs a new hobby." she said before leaning up and lightly tapping the Ortho goddess between the eyes, who simply snapped her teeth at her wife's fingers, then leaned half over the couch to put her ear to the box.

"Hmmm...no ticking." she became thoughtful. "My bad. Must have been the other present." she shrugged.

"A new hobby, Calliope." the Peds surgeon glared as she handed the child's gift back, adding another arm smack when their daughter brought it up to her ear and lightly shook it.

When she was finally satisfied it wasn't going to get her, Sofia tore into her present gleefully, sending small pieces of paper flying everywhere. Arizona couldn't help but laugh as her wife, who was still half over the couch, tried in vain to dodge the tiny projectiles.

"OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH!" Sofia exclaimed, starting to bounce around. "IT'S JUSTICE GIRL'S CAPE! IT'S THE ONE I WANTED! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT!" The young girl squealed with joy as she leapt off the couch and began the celebratory dance of awesome presents. Callie, who was still holding herself up with one arm, let herself fall the rest of the way unto the couch, only to use her momentum to roll to her feet and join their daughter in celebration.

"YAY! Did you hear that? WE'RE AWESOME PARENTS!" she cheered as she and Sofia bounced around happily.

"I really wish we had gotten that on tape." Arizona laughed as she watched the antics of her family. "It could've REALLY helped through the teenage years."

"And now all the happy's gone." Callie said turning to her wife, her dance of joy forgotten. "You killed it. It's dead. All I feel now is a sense of impending doom."

"You're welcome." the blonde smirked as she pushed herself up and reached for her wife's hand. Pulling the Latina out of her newly implanted fears, they both laughed as they rejoined their still happily dancing daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I am aware that it is wrong to tell a child that there's a bomb in their gifts, (even if it is filled with glitter) in my own defense, my mom used to do it to me ALL the time. (except, without the glitter)  
> She still does, in fact. That, or she'll ask me if it has air holes. :S


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thank you to everyone reading this, your kind words and support are a big part of why we do this. Thank you very much!

They had danced around for quite some time, and in that time it no longer mattered that they were snowed in, or that not even Sofia's bestfriend couldn't make it. All that mattered for the time being was the love they shared, and the happiness they brought each other. And for just a little while, everything was perfect. That is, until everyone started running out of breath from all the jumping around.

While Sofia went in search of her beloved Justice Girl mask to complete her new ensemble, her parents stood in the kitchen, draining water bottles.  
With Mark and Lexie due in about an hour, Callie could almost feel her daughter's excitement, even from the next room. Sure, she pretty much saw her father on a daily basis, but this was different, this was special.

 _I really hope he let Little Grey pick out the present_. she mumbled to herself.

Not that she questioned Mark's choices of gifts of course, it was just that...okay, so she questioned Mark's choices. In gifts, of course, not women. Well, not since the disappearance of the manwhore anyway. Sure, she had been down that road herself, Sofia was enough evidence of that, but that was a long time ago. The young woman was good for him, and it always helped that their daughter simply adored the walking encyclopedia.

"That was fun!" Arizona exclaimed, bringing the now mostly empty bottle back to her lips.

"Yeah, it was." her wife agreed, smiling. "Who knew our kid could dance like that? Girl's got some skills."

"Well, she is a Torres, after all." the blonde smiled, putting down her bottled water and placing her hands on the Latina's hips. "Have I told you lately how much I love watching you dance?" she asked, nuzzling her wife's neck.

"No, not lately. You should really get on that." the brunette pointed out.

Slowly, Arizona began kissing her way up the taller woman's neck. "I. LOVE. watching. you. dance. Calliope." she said between kisses.

"That's because I'm awesome at it." Callie said smugly, placing her hands over the blonde's and doing a little hip shake for emphasis.

"Hmm...I bet I could name quite a few things that you're awesome at." her wife purred, slipping her hands around to the brunette's backside.

The taller woman brought her right up to her chin and looked thoughtful. "Well, now that you mention it, I am also an amazing cook."

"Yes, you are." the blonde agreed. "But that's not really what I was thinking about, babe." she added with a smirk, squeezing just a bit.

"Are you talking about my rather impressive abilities of balloon animaling?"

The Peds surgeon rolled her eyes. "First of all, there is no way that's a real term, and you have no abilities of the kind!" she pointed out, pulling back from the embrace. "And don't look at me like that because I know what I'm talking about, I've seen you try."

"Hey!" the Latina scoffed. "A snake is an animal!"

"That didn't look like any snake I've ever seen."

"Fine, it was a worm."

"It was a blue tube at best!"

"Whatever." Callie huffed. "If it was a blue tube, AND I'm not saying it was, but IF it was, then it was the best damned blue tube in all of the history of existence!" she proclaimed, pointed finger raised high in the air for added emphasis.

"'In all of the history of...'? REALLY, Calliope?" the blonde laughed. "You're such a drama queen."

"And YOU'RE a dream killer." her wife said, sticking out her tongue. "Oh, And a cupcake thief." she added, offhandedly.

"Okay, You really need to let that go."

"Hmmpfth." Callie huffed, crossing her arms.

Feeling her chances of lovin' dissolving fast, Arizona quickly changed gears without even bothering to touch the clutch.

"Aww, you're right, baby. I'm sorry." she said, turning her dimples to max voltage and batting her eyelashes.

"Aww, that's okay sweetheart. I know I overreact sometim...Hey, wait a minute! Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do." the Latina narrowed her eyes.

"Why, whatever do you mean my beautiful Calliope?"

"Don't you 'my beautiful Calliope' me, woman. I'm on to you. You and your sweet talking, greedy libido. Well, guess what! All buses headed into the downtown area have been momentarily canceled, due to the aforementioned cupcake thievery." she stated, gesturing to herself.

Arizona rolled her eyes. "What is with you and those cupcakes?"

The Orthopedic surgeon shrugged. "Nothing, I just like them. What's with you and butterfly scrub caps?"

"What? That has nothing to do with...BECAUSE they're awesome!"

"Exactly!"

"I'm confused."

Callie sighed. "I like cupcakes. Cupcakes are awesome. Cupcakes are my butterfly scrub caps. You know, without all the purples and pinks." she paused briefly, her brow fusing. "Or the brightly colored insects."

"Okay, I think I actually understood that." the blonde said, her eyes growing wide. "Oh my god, it's finally happened, your special brand of crazy has finally started to rub off on me. I have contact crazy!"

"Took long enough." her wife mused, chuckling a bit. "Now, speaking of my cupcakes..."

"I HAVE AN IDEA!" Arizona screamed suddenly, quickly grabbing a bag and disappearing into the master bedroom.

"...they seem to have gone missing again." Callie finished, raising an eyebrow at the now empty space in front of her where her wife had just been standing.

* * *

 

"Mommy! Momma! I found it!" a costume clad Sofia rushed back on the scene, pointing at her mask.

"That's great, mija." Her mother responded, head deep into the refrigerator.

Wrinkling her brow, the child peeked around the door. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Looking for my cupcakes!" pausing, she turned towards her daughter. "Our cupcakes." she corrected.

"Do you need help finding them?" the child asked, always eager to help. "Hey! Justice Girl could find them!" she announced, fixing her mask and striking a pose. "As all of good is my witness, those cupcakes shall be found!" she promised, one hand on her hip as she used the other to make her cape move. Turning back towards her mother, she just missed a goofy smile before it quickly hid behind a serious face and a thoughtful nod.

"Do you wanna be my sidekick, Momma?"

"Umm..." How could she say no to a face like that? Hope was bright in the young girl's eyes, and it was her mother's downfall every time. "Uh, sure, why not?" the Latina shrugged.

"Awesome!" Sofia cheered. "Now...for your costume." Reaching inside her official Justice Girl satchel, she spelunked briefly before pulling out a bright pink tiara.

Callie eyed it suspiciously. "Did you plan this?"

"A good soldier is always prepared." Justice Girl explained.

"Fair enough...I suppose." her mother's eyes narrowed slightly before curiosity got the better of her. "OoO, What else you got in there?" she leaned towards the bag, trying to catch a peek.

"Crime fightin' stuff." the girl shrugged, but closed the flap quickly, keeping the contents out of view. "Oh! And chapstick." she added with a nod.

"What kind of chapstick?"

"Strawberry. It's my favorite." the girl smiled.

"Works for me." The Latina smiled back. "Now, about the pink tiara..."

"You don't like it, Momma?" big brown eyes looked as if they were about to spring a leak.

"No...No I do!...Honest. It's just, well, I mean...It just doesn't seem very super hero...ish. I mean...you have a mask and a cape." the taller brunette pointed out. "I have a tiara...and Cookie Monster pants." she added, looking down at her pajama bottoms, which she still hadn't bothered to change out of yet. Priorities and all.

"It's a MAGIC tiara, Momma." Justice Girl sighed as she obviously stated the obvious, her moment of sadness already forgotten. "When you're wearing it, no one will be able to tell who you really are. Because IT'S MAGIC." she emphasized, waving her arms.

"Okay, well, what about you, madame smarty pants?"

"Well, I can still tell cause you're MY sidekick." the girl reasoned. "OH! And your name is Princess." she added quickly, sounding rather proud of herself.

"PRINCESS? Seriously, mija?"

"You're never too big to be a princess, Momma." she said, smiling smugly.

Callie eyed her daughter. "Well played." she mumbled as she put on her magic tiara.

* * *

 

Together, the two heroes searched every cabinet and drawer in the kitchen. No table went unturned, and then no table went without being turned upright again.  
They searched the cabinets, they searched the pantry. So intent were they on finding their lost treasure, they failed to notice the shadow that suddenly fell across the room.

"Looking for this?" a low voice rumbled, making them both jump slightly. There, standing in the living room, was a dark, hooded figure. Beside the couch it loomed, head down, partially blocking a lamp. (which explained the shadow) In it's right hand, it held a single, sprinkled cupcake.

"THE CUPCAKES!" the heroes cried in unison.

"Actually, there's only the one." the dark figure pointed out.

"THE CUPCAKE!" they screamed, mouths agape and pointing.

"Hey...is that my hoodie?" Princess whispered, eyes narrowed.

"Show yourself, evil doer!" Justice Girl commanded, stepping in front of her crime fighting partner.

"Behold!" seconds seemed to drag as the villain slowly reached for it's hood, revealing itself inch by inch. Princess took a moment to check her invisible watch. The first thing they saw was a flash of gold, then another. Light reflected off blonde curls making them almost seem to glow as blue eyes flashed behind a large, black mardi gras mask. "Fear the power of the Evil Dr. Dimples!" the villain cackled.

'Dr. Dimples?' Callie mouthed to her wife, receiving only a slight shrug in response. 'Princess?' the blonde mouthed back. The Latina added a shrug of her own and pointed to her crown.

Justice Girl went into hero speech mode and pointed towards her foe. "Good does not fear evil, Dr..." she stopped suddenly. "Wait...what happened to the Evil Professor?"

"Oh! She umm...she got sick?"

"Is she OKAY?" Justice Girl questioned, eyes wide. At the villain's nod, the hero quickly turned towards her sidekick. "We should make her some soup later." she nodded to herself, missing the shared smile of the two women.

"Yes, that's very thoughtful, and I'm sure she'd be happy to know you care. NOW!...since she is sick, I will be filling in as your arch nemesis today." the blonde curtseyed. "Thank you very much, and prepare to meet your doom!"

"Hey, hold up Dr. Dimples, no one here is looking for their doom." Princess interjected. "We just want the cupcake." she pointed out.

"NEVER!" the villain laughed maniacally. "The last cupcake is mine!"

"You'll never win this fight villain! You should just give up now." Justice Girl reasoned, then stopped suddenly as a rather disturbing thought struck her. "The VERY last cupcake?" the hero asked, eyeing her foe suspiciously.

The evil doctor smirked. "Your sidekick ate the rest."

"Really?" the hero gasped, turning to her crowned partner.

"What?" the Latina shrugged, "I like cupcakes. How many times do I have to say that? Why does no one ever listen to..."

"AND NOW...," Dr. Dimples interjected. "Between your inability to stop me, and your sidekick's lack of self control..."

"Okay, whoa! Harsh!" Princess warned, earning her a quick shrug from the blonde before the villain continued.

"You'll never win, Justice Brat! The tasty snack is doomed!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contact crazy is a very serious problem. I got mine from my mother. Please remember to stay at least 10 feet away from the crazy at all times. Thank you and stay safe out there.


	5. Chapter 5

As the evil Dr. Dimples' maniacal laughter filled the apartment, our heroes started to worry actually how they were to defeat such a villain.

"Hey, sorry we're late, we weren't sure if you wanted...WHAT are you guys doing?" Mark stopped halfway into the door, his eyes wide. There was a slight 'oomft' as his girlfriend ran into his back.

"I'm Justice Girl, Dad!" the child beamed, grabbing the edges of her cape and doing little semi-circles up to him. "Momma is my sidekick and Mommy is Dr. Dimples." she explained as he picked her up.

"The EVIL Dr. Dimples." the blonde corrected.

"Fan-tastic." Mark smiled as he kissed Sofia's cheek. "But isn't that kind of typecasting?" he smirked as Arizona shot him a glare. "Nice hat, Torres." he added, pointing towards the taller brunette.

"Don't be jealous." Callie stated, pursing her lips as she adjusted her brightly colored crown.

"Oh! I wanna play!" Lexie exclaimed, bouncing a little.

"You can be Mommy's henchman, Aunt Lexie." the girl said cheerfully, reaching for the young woman's hand as she was put down. After digging into her satchel, she handed the youngest Grey a small black mask.

"Yay!" the new henchman and her mistress both cheered.

"Daddy, you can be one, too!" Justice Girl exclaimed, handing her father a mask as well.

"Less yay." Dr. Dimples added, making a face.

"Oh, sure. THEY get masks." huffed Princess.

"Do you want mine?"

"Put the mask on, Mark." the evil doctor warned.

"Fine, but I wanna be in charge."

"You can't be in charge! I'M the evil villain. YOU are my henchman. YOU work for ME." the blonde smiled smugly. "I'm your boss."

"Okay, there's no way I'm..."

"You gotta play nice, Dad." Sofia interjected with her hands on her hips.

"Yeah. Play nice, LACKEY."

"You too, Mommy." the girl said, turning towards the Peds surgeon.

"But I was!...I mean, I wasn't...I mean he..." the blonde pointed briefly before crossing her arms as she huffed. "Fine."

Satisfied, the child turned back to her father, barely missing the maturity of him and the blonde sticking their tongues out at each other. "Daddy?"

"Yeah, Fine. But I get to at least be second in command, right?" turning toward Lexie he continued. "You can be henchman number two."

Little Grey's eyebrows fused. "I'm not sure it really matters..."

"All right, all right. Fascinating." Princess cut in. "Can we get back to saving my cupcake please?"

"We're fighting over a cupcake?" Lexie asked, pulling her mask down over her eyes.

"The LAST cupcake, Aunt Lexie." Justice Girl explained. "The VERY. LAST. ONE!" she emphasized, her eyes wide.

"What happened to the rest of them?"

"I'm guessing Momma bear ate 'em all." Mark smirked as the Latina shrugged. "Called it."

Leaning towards Lexie's face of question, he clarified. "She likes cupcakes."

* * *

 

As the clock struck one, the opponents stared at one another, looking for any signs of weakness. The evil Dr. Dimples smiled wickedly, a henchman at each side. One holding a pair of nun-chucks made of tube socks, the other gripping a couch pillow. Our hero stood not five feet away on the couch, supported by her sidekick, who, by request, was also making the hero's cape move. The air around them was still and silent, that is, of course, until Justice Girl had had her fill of hero posing.

"Okay, Mommy, you can start now." she whispered.

"You got it, Baby girl." the blonde smiled, then cleared her throat. "You're too late, Justice Girl! The last cupcake is ours!" The evil doctor cackled.

"Once again, I think you're wrong villain!" the hero replied. "I think we're just in time, FOR JUSTICE!" she exclaimed as she and Princess did numerous hero poses quickly before the brunette helped her down.

"WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT!" Dr. Dimples exclaimed. "You'll never save the last cupcake! And after my henchmen are through with you and we share our delicious treat, we're going to TAKE OVER THE WORLD!"

"The WHOLE world?" Justice girl gasped.

"Well, maybe not Antarctica." the villain shrugged. "Polar bears are almost impossible to negotiate with."

"I think you mean penguins." Lexie corrected. "Polar bears only live in the northern hemisphere."

"Okay, you're REALLY not helping, number two." her mistress growled.

"Ha! She called you number two." the other henchman giggled.

The evil doctor rolled her eyes before continuing. "Fine. Good. Whatever. No Antarctica, regardless!"

"And just what are you planning on doing if you do manage to take over the world?" Princess asked, eyebrow raised. "You know, minus Antarctica." she added, waving her hand dismissively.

"We're going to build a device that turns everyone on the planet into chickens!" Dr. Dimples laughed maniacally while both of her henchman looked completely lost.

"Mommy has a weird thing for chickens." Sofia explained, as she and her side kick nodded simultaneously.

"That explains a lot, actually." Mark grinned.

"Wait, wouldn't that turn YOU into a chicken as well?" Little Grey questioned.

"Henchman number two, you're fired." her mistress stated.

"But all I said was..."

"You know what? Never mind. I need henchmen. I'm a super villain!...we don't fight our own battles if we can help it." the masked blonde explained, more to herself than anyone. "Henchman number two, you're rehired."

"Yay!"

"Now, back to the matter at hand." Dr. Dimples smiled, raising her arm. "Evil henchmen, GO!"

As the two masked figures approached, the crime fighter stood tall but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her partner was starting to fidget slightly. Placing a hand on her side kick's shoulder she smiled. "Do not fear, Princess. Evil never truly wins."

"Your name is PRINCESS?" the taller henchman stopped suddenly, bursting into laughter. Reaching out, the crowned Latina grabbed his weaponized pillow and smacked him on the head with it. "Ow."

"Take that evil doer!" the brunette smirked then turned towards the other henchman, couch pillow at the ready. "You want some, Little Grey?"

"No, I'm good." the young woman replied, handing over her tube socks all too readily.

"Wow. Really?" her mistress cried, throwing her arms into the air with a huff.

"Your wife is very scary right now." henchman number two pointed out as she slowly inched away from the now chuckling brunette.

"I guess I have to do everything myself!" the evil doctor sighed, stomping her way onto the battlefield. "You two will never stop me! I will have the last cupcake for my own!"

"Guess again, evil doer!" Justice Girl said stepping forward, only to be stopped by Princess.

"I got this JG." her sidekick smiled, stepping towards the masked blonde.

"You sure you wanna do this, Princess?" Dr. Dimples smirked. "Once you're beaten, you're out of play for the rest of the game." she pointed out.

"Booh." the former henchman number one grumbled on his way to the kitchen.

"Shut up, Mark." they both said in unison.

Turning back towards the villain, Princess smiled. "Show me what you got, Doctor."

* * *

 

The scene played out somewhat like an old western as the two foes stood facing one another, arms at their sides, fingers wiggling. Arizona licked her suddenly dry lips as she watched her wife's mouth form a crooked grin as her right eyebrow rose. She hadn't really planned to this point in the confrontation, truth be told, and she was starting to get a little bit nervous. She needed an idea, and she needed it fast. Her wife was taller and built like a brick house, with the leg strength of a champion. There was no way she could take the dark haired goddess down by sheer force. Unless...

"Oh, c'mon already!" Justice Girl cried from her place beside the youngest Grey on the couch, as she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

Before Princess could react, the villain was upon her. Grabbing the front of the hero in training's shirt, the evil doctor pulled the woman to her quickly, crushing their lips together. As soon as their mouths met, their daughter made a face. Shaking her head, Lexie reached over and put her hand over Sofia's eyes, who all to willingly helped hold it in place, before covering her own eyes with the other.

Arizona smiled inwardly. She could almost feel the brunette's eyes rolling back as the taller woman slowly started to slip to the floor. Tightening her grip, she kept her mouth busy until she felt the Latina hit one knee. Pulling away slowly, she waited until the darkened eyes in front of her found their way back open.

"I think you just lost." the blonde smiled brightly, chuckling when the only response she received was her wife's mouth opening slightly, then closing. "You can look again, Baby girl." she called towards the direction of the couch as she pushed the newly defeated crime fighter back unto the discarded couch pillow and stood up.

Peeking out, one masked eye came into view from behind the former henchman number two's hand, then another. Taking in the scene before her, the hero gasped. There, in the midst of the makeshift battlefield, stood her new arch nemesis standing over her unmoving side kick.

"PRINCESS!" she cried as she ran to her fallen crime fighting partner. "What have you done, villain?" she asked as she turned from the still somewhat glazed look of the brunette's face to the smirking blonde evil doer.

The antagonist's face cracked into a smile that quickly took a turn for the wicked. "I think I just won."

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

"But...but you cheated!"

"Well, duh." Dr. Dimples replied, gesturing to herself. "Evil villain, remember?"

Coming back to herself, Callie blinked a few times. "What...what just happened? Why am I on the floor?" she asked, making a face at the carpet.

"You've been defeated, Calliope." her wife smirked as their eyes met.

"Well, crap." the Latina said, "Sorry, Mini Me." she added as she turned towards their daughter.

"It's okay, Momma. I know you tried your best." the hero said, patting her mother's shoulder.

"She's just so...POWERFUL!" the brunette cried, eyeing the villain who was busy buffing her fingernails on her borrowed hoodie. "Be careful, Justice Girl! We have no idea what she's capable of!" she cried, gesturing wildly.

"Drama queen." the masked doctor mumbled.

"CUPCAKE THIEF!" Callie yelled, pointing.

"And, once again I say, E-VIL VILL-AIN."

"Wait, I thought her taking the cupcake was the whole point of this?" the former henchman number two whispered, waving her popcorn filled hand from her place beside Mark on the couch, her mask now pulled up to her forehead.

"More or less." Arizona said with a shrug.

"Popcorn!" the woman now formerly known as Princess cheered, scrambling up from the floor and almost knocking her wife over in the process.

"Momma, you're 'posed to be dead!" Sofia pointed out, waving her arms. "There's no running 'round when you're dead!

"I am not running around, I'm on the couch." her mother replied, receiving a slight glare. "What? I'm dead! I'm dead! I promise." the Latina stated eagerly, crossing her arms and sticking her tongue out the side of her mouth. "See? Dead. Now, gimme popcorn!" she cried, grabbing the handful Mark had half way to his mouth.

"Hey, I need that hand, Torres!"

"Oh, you'll be fine. You have the other one." the brunette smiled brightly.

"When did you get popcorn, daddy?" Sofia asked, leaning over from her new spot in front of the couch and stealing some pieces from her mother's hand.

"I found it in the cabinet while you guys were doing...well, whatever it is that you were doing." Mark explained, gesturing towards them. "Shortly after your mother tried to brain me with a couch decoration." his eyes narrowed at the Ortho surgeon who pretended not to notice.

"We have popcorn?" the Latina asked her wife around her mouthful of salty goodness, who simply shrugged again. "And don't be such a baby, Mark." she said, leaning over Little Grey and poking his forehead to see if she could find a bruise.

"I am not being a baby, and STOP TOUCHING ME!" he cried, slapping at her attacking hand.

"Oh, yeah, because that wasn't whiny at all." the brunette laughed. "Is it time for baby's nap?" she cooed, pulling his small black mask away slightly before letting it pop back.

"I'll just...go sit over there." Lexie pointed across the room as she tried to wiggle out from underneath the aerial assault going on above her head. She smiled as Arizona and Sofia helped her to her feet. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Sofia beamed as her mom smiled and nodded. "Can we get back to the story please, Mommy?" she asked tugging on the blonde's sleeve.

"Of course, Baby girl. Just give me one second to deal with the children." Arizona said, pulling her own mask down and gesturing towards the now wrestling couch duo. As the Latina grabbed the plastics surgeon in a headlock, she decided to wait just a little longer, just until Mark turned a prettier shade of purple. "You know, in a minute."

Sofia rolled her eyes. "Why am I more of a grown up than you guys?" she huffed, putting her hands on her hips.

Standing behind the costumed birthday girl, Arizona and Lexie both had to cover their mouths to keep from laughing as their other halves stopped almost immediately and simultaneously ducked their heads in guilt. "We're sorry." they mumbled.

"Don't be sorry, be better!" the masked hero warned, quoting her mom who was now doubled over behind the child, while Sofia herself did a little happy dance for finally being able to say that to an adult.

After closing her eyes and catching her breath, Lexie decided to step in. After all, from her new place on the floor, Arizona was really in no position to help. "Why don't we let them off easy, Justice Girl." she said. "Just this once." she clarified as the little girl's eyebrows shot up.

Turning back towards the two pouty faced trouble makers, the youngest Torres looked thoughtful. "Okay, I guess." she shrugged. "But JUST this once." she warned, pointing towards the newly pardoned who each nodded solemnly.

"YAY!" her former side kick cheered, jumping up and pulling off her crown quickly before making her way to where her wife was now sitting on the floor. "Vengeance!" she screamed as she tackled the super villain.

Sofia shook her head as she stepped out of the path of the rolling, laughing duo. "You see what I have to put up with?" she looked to her dad's girlfriend and sighed heavily as she moved back to her starting position once her moms changed direction.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Lexie smiled. "I live with your dad remember?" she stage whispered as she pointed towards the girls father who was busy cheering his best friend on from the side lines.

"You're very brave." the young girl said very seriously.

"I try." Little grey said, chuckling when the little girl patted her arm in reassurance. "Come on, how about we let them finish playing and go get the rest of the party stuff from next door?" she smiled as Sofia nodded excitedly.

"Okay!"

"All right, let's go." Lexie said, leading the way. "And don't worry, I'm sure they won't even notice we're gone." she smirked, tilting her head towards the two women on the floor who were now in the middle of a tickle fight, as Mark threw left over popcorn at them and booed as Arizona got the upper hand.

"Children." Sofia sighed dramatically as they went on their way across the hall.

* * *

 

"I am the winner!" Callie yelled as she finally pinned the squirming blonde down. "Take that! And that!" she laughed as she poked the out of breath Peds surgeon a few more times for good measure.

"I give, Calliope! I give!" her wife laughed.

"That's right." the Latina smirked. "It's about time you recognized the superiority of my...Ow! Hey! No biting!" she tsked at a grinning Arizona as she rubbed her arm. "That better not leave a bruise." she glared playfully before her eyes went wide suddenly and her jaw dropped . "VAMPIRE!" she screamed, covering her mouth with one hand and pointing with the other.

"You're lucky that was the only part of you I could reach."

The brunette followed her wife's current line of sight down and gasped as she used both arms to cover her chest. "How rude!"

"WhatEVAH, you know you like it!" the blonde said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"What's your point?" the Ortho goddess smirked as she leaned down and ran her tongue along her captive's bottom lip before pulling it into her mouth. She smiled as the other woman moaned and fingers entangled themselves into her hair to pull her closer.

All at once, she sat up suddenly, her brow fused as she looked from side to side. "Wait. Something's wrong."

"If this is about that damned cupcake again I swear I'll...Hold on, I feel it too." Arizona stopped, tilting her head to one side. "We just kissed and no one said 'ew' or 'gross'. OH MY GOD, WHERE'S SOFIA?"

"Calm down Blondie, she and Lexie left about 5 mins ago." they heard from the kitchen.

"Oh, thank goodness." the blonde let out a relieved sigh. "Wait, why are YOU still here then?" she glared towards the general direction of the man's voice.

"Yeah, no free shows, Mark." Callie yelled.

"For your information, I was just on my way out." Mark pointed out, coming to stand behind the couch. "By the way, you're out of apple juice." he added, holding up the now empty bottle and shaking it.

"Damnit Mark, I just bought that!" Arizona huffed. "Go home and drink your own juice!"

"He already did. We're out too." Lexie explained from the doorway as Sofia held the door open for her and the big white container she was carrying. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." the youngest Torres beamed before quickly making her way towards the living room. "Momma! Mommy! Dad and Aunt Lexie got me presents!" she cheered, waving the brightly colored wrapped packages about.

"What? We're supposed to give you stuff? When did this happen?" her mother gasped. "You'd think it was your birthday or something."

"You already gave me stuff, Momma." the girl pointed out.

Arizona rolled her eyes as her wife and child once again stuck their tongues out at each other. Seeing her opportunity, she quickly rolled out from underneath the Latina while she was detracted, before then wrapping her arms and legs around her wife, holding her place. "Get her, Baby girl."

Placing her gifts safely on the couch, the hero quickly adjusted her mask before making her way towards the newly immobilized Latina, laughing as her mother let out a slow and dramatic 'nooooo' as she approached. Jumping onto the taller brunette's back, she began her tickle assault, an action her mom gladly joined in on.

"HEY! NO FAIR!" Callie laughed as she was attacked from both sides. "MARK! HELP!"

"You hit me with a couch cushion." the man pointed out. "So, I'm going to go with no."

"Ya. Big. Baby!" she yelled between breaths.

"I know you're not talking about someone's inability to let something go." Arizona laughed. "Drama queen."

"Cupcake thief!"

"See?"

"Okay, enough of this." Callie said, pushing herself up, smiling as she took her attackers with her. "Where's my cupcake?"

Turning towards the kitchen, her eyes went wide. There, newly unwrapped from it's protective shell, was her last cupcake. Well, what was left of it anyway. Her eyes narrowed as she watched her now former best friend happily bring the last bite to his waiting mouth.


	7. Chapter 7

The world seemed to move in slow motion as four sets of eyes watched the Latina's fists clench closed tightly.

"I WILL KILL YOU MARK SLOAN!" Callie screamed as she pointed towards the now wide eyed, icing mouth covered, soon to executed Plastics king. She took one step forward before she noticed she couldn't move her other leg because of a certain, still attached blonde. "Let me go! He ate my cupcake, he deserves to die!" she huffed, pulling both her leg and wife forward a bit.

"Calliope, you can't kill Mark." Arizona explained slowly as she watched her wife's jaw clench.

"Watch me!"

"Daddy, RUN!" Sofia called, tightening her hold around her mother's neck.

"Yeah, right. I'm not afraid of...HEY!" he cried as he ducked behind the counter top, barely missing being pinged in the head with the Latina's new favorite weapon of choice. "No couch cushions!" his hand came back into view and pointed.

"Relax, we only have the one." Callie stated, smirking as the large man peeked out from his hiding place.

"Really?"

"No." the brunette said simply, laughing as her second cushioned missile hit Mark right between the eyes, knocking him backwards.

"HEY! NO FAIR!"

"All's fair when you steal somebody's last cupcake, ya jerk!"

"You two knock it off!" Arizona interjected as she slapped her wife on the thigh.

"She started it!" Mark yelled from the floor right before Lexie clamped her hand over his mouth. "Ommt?"

"I DID NOT!" Callie called around the tiny hand that was trying it's best to keep her mouth closed.

"Play nice, Momma!" the youngest Torres said, crawling her way around to her mother's front. "No killing daddy." she stated, doing her best impression of the taller brunette's wide eyed stare down.

"Fine." the Latina huffed, bringing her arms up to help support her new attachment. "And what are you, part tree frog?"

"Tree frogs are ampt-phibians, Momma. I'm a koala!" the child stated proudly.

"They're AMphibians, and no more hanging out with Little Grey for you." her mother smirked, shifting the girl to one side so she could help her chuckling leg growth up.

"I think you'd make an adorable koala bear, Baby girl." Arizona smiled, kissing their daughter's cheek.

"Yeah, just think how much we could save on food." Callie pointed out. "You could live off the plants!"

"Momma, the plants are plastic."

"That just means they'll be chewy!" the Latina smirked as her wife and daughter both rolled their eyes.

"Is it safe to come out yet?" Lexie called from the makeshift trench, waving a white napkin back and forth.

"Yeah, you guys are fine." Arizona called back. "Momma bear's hands are busy." she smiled as Sofia wiggled around a bit to help prove their point.

"Well, that's kind of cheating." the taller brunette pouted.

"Ah, pobrecita." the blonde cooed, kissing her wife's cheek. Pulling back, she smiled as Sofia kissed the other.

"Come on, Momma! There's CAKE!" the girl smiled and bounced around a little. "It's like cupcakes, ONLY BIGGER!" she exclaimed, waving her arms.

"She gets that from you." the Peds surgeon grinned, poking the laughing Latina in the side as they made their way towards the kitchen.

* * *

 

Once the dust had settled from everyone running around the kitchen grabbing the needed essentials and Mark had been denied his request for an ice pack, they all gathered around the newly uncovered yellow cartooned cake in their sparkling party hats. All except Callie, of course, who went back to wearing her crown. Their smiles grew as Sofia's stared at the large, well decorated face of her favorite sponge.

"It's Spongebob!" she cheered. "Mommy, look!"

"I see, Baby girl." her mom smiled brightly, intertwining her hand with her equally beaming wife's.

"I love it! I love it!" Sofia exclaimed, doing a little happy dance before giving each of the four of them a hug. "Thank you guys!"

"Sure." Mark grinned, holding up a plastic knife. "Now, how about we go about cuttin' this bad boy?"

"Hold on, let me get a picture!" Lexie said, placing her camera on the counter top and setting the timer. "Everyone say cheese!"

"What kind of cheese?" both Sofia and her mother asked right before the flash.

"You two are impossible." Arizona smiled, kissing her wife's shoulder before leaning forward to kiss their daughter's head.

After they sang the birthday song and the candles had been blown out, they talked and laughed as they ate their pieces of cake, happy to share this moment together.  
While Lexie continued to take pictures, which she promised to send to Arizona once they got home, Sofia cheered her mother on as the Latina successfully covered Mark's mustache in yellow icing after only the third try. A victory that was only slightly tarnished by the fact that he had gotten her forehead just after her first attempt.

"Come on, these presents aren't going to open themselves!" Arizona called from the living room where she had gathered all the gifts and replaced the cushions while the children played.

"YAY!" Sofia exclaimed as she ran towards the small pile, pulling her mother with her and grabbing her father on the way, who was busy still trying to get icing off his face. As they made their way past the cake, Callie smiled to herself as she quickly reached out and got as much icing as she could on her index finger.

"Hey, whoa. Slow down, Mini me." she warned as they rounded the couch. Once she and Mark were allowed to sit, she waited until he had just finished cleaning his face with the washcloth before she leaned in and used the yellow icing she had collected to color in his right eyebrow.

"Damnit, Torres!" the man grumbled as he went back to wiping his face.

"Okay, we're even for the cupcake now." the Latina laughed as she helped her daughter into her lap. "You ready for some presents, mija?" she whispered excitedly.

"Yeah!" Sofia cheered while a flash went off. Looking towards her dad's girlfriend she smiled brightly as she pulled her mother close for the next picture. "String cheese!" she smiled as the taller brunette laughed. Leaning over, she grabbed her dad and pulled him to her other side as the flash went off a third time.

"These are going to be great." Lexie exclaimed.

"Yeah, they are!" Arizona agreed happily. "By the way Mark, you still have cake on your face."

"Oh for crying out loud!" he scrubbed to no avail as the Latina beside him couldn't help but chuckle.

"Here, Dad." Sofia said, reaching over and taking the washcloth from her father and getting the last bit of icing off. "There, all better." she smiled.

"Finally!" he grumbled, looking up as Arizona cleared her throat. "I mean, thank you."

"You're welcome, Daddy." the little girl beamed.

"Awesome. Now, you ready for this, Baby girl?" the blonde smiled as she held up the first box, rolling her eyes as she watched her wife lick her finger and lean towards her best friend. "And Calliope, leave Mark alone."

"Yes, please!" the birthday girl beamed before raising her eyebrow to her mother over her shoulder. "Be nice, Momma."

"Oh, fine." Callie sighed heavily. "If I have to."

"And you do." her wife warned.

"You too, Mark." Lexie said, causing the now wide eyed man to stop with his own finger half way to the Ortho surgeon's ear.

* * *

 

One by one the gifts were opened, and with each one, Sofia's excitement seemed to grow. She cheered each time a new one was revealed, making sure to take a moment to properly thank the gift giver, as her parents looked on proudly. As the unwrapped pile beside her grew, she kept getting distracted by all the things she now owned that she couldn't wait to play with.

With a birght smile, she was all too happy to explain each and every gift and it's awesomeness to anyone who asked, and of course, they did. They even made sure to insert a chorus of OoO's and Ahh's at the appropriate moments.

Sofia bounced on her mother's lap gleefully. She was now the proud owner of the newest Justice Girl action figure, (complete with a Vile Niltha figure, and kicking action!) 2 new sketch pads and some art supplies she had asked her dad for, and a new purse she had pointed out to Lexie on their last shopping trip. (because, as she explained to the young woman, her dad just doesn't understand girly things)

There was also a new pair of roller blades complete with purple protection gear, (which her mom promised to teach her to use) a cookbook made for kids, (which her mother promised to help with) several new outfits each of them had helped her pick out, (except Mark, who was all too happy just to put his name on the card) and of course, season 5, volume 2 of Spongebob on DVD.

"Okay, it looks like there's only one left." Arizona pointed out. "Hopefully we saved the best for last." she smiled, handing the package to the youngest Torres. "This is from all of us."

Leaning closer, Callie couldn't resist one last go 'round. "Wait. Is this the one that was supposed to be ticking?" she said as she watched her daughter's eyebrow rise. "I mean, I know it was the wrong one last time, but now I'm almost positive that it was this one instead."

"Mommy said you had to stop that." Sofia said, rolling her eyes as her mother chuckled.

"Allright, but don't come crying to me when you're covered in glitter." the Latina smirked. "Calliope, stop that." she said in perfect sync with her wife, shaking her head afterwards to mirror the blonde.

"That's kinda creepy." Arizona pointed out as the brunette simply shrugged.

"Yeah, well, anyway..." Callie turned back towards their daughter. "Present! Present! Present!" she bounced slightly, making the girl giggle.

As the child reached towards the brightly colored wrapping encasing her treasure, she missed the knowing looks and smiles that were going around the rest of the room.

"Oh my gosh! OH MY GOSH!" Sofia squealed was the first corner was revealed.

"What is it? WHAT IS IT?" her mother exclaimed just as excitedly as she peeked over the girl's shoulder.

"It's...IT'S..." she jumped higher and higher as her first glance was confirmed. "IT'S THE NEW JUSTICE GIRL BOOK!" she cried as she raised her arms in the air. "YES! YES! YES!"

"Yay team!" Callie cheered as she slapped hands with a grinning Mark. The two of them laughing as Lexie and Arizona did the same, complete with tiny victory dances.

"Thank you guys so much! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!" the birthday girl announced as she attached herself around her mother's neck, making the taller brunette beam. "Thank you! Thank you!"

"You're more than welcome, mija." Callie said as she held her daughter tight as Mark leaned over to kiss the child's cheek. Looking up, her eyes locked with those of her equally beaming wife as they shared a smile.

The Latina's face shifted suddenly as she leaned down towards the child's ear, her wickedness shining through. "Go get your mom." she whispered as she helped the child up, laughing as the masked hero launched herself into the air towards her wife.

"Mommy!"

There was a slight 'Oomft' as Sofia landed, her mom's arms coming around her quickly to keep her from falling.

"Very funny, Calliope." Arizona said, narrowing her eyes at the laughing couch duo as her new attachment happily showed a camera wielding Lexie her new present over the blonde's shoulder. "No more projectiles." she warned, shifting their daughter to one side so she could tsk properly, complete with pointing finger.

"Thank you, Mommy." Sofia turned and whispered into the blonde's shoulder as she squeezed her mom tighter. "Best present ever!"

"Does that mean we can send the rest of them back?" came from somewhere behind her, and she whipped her head around quickly to respond, but found she couldn't turn all the way. She smiled briefly as her mom turned with her so she could face the couch.

"That's not funny, Momma!"

"Yeah, it kinda..." looking up, the Latina caught two sets of eyes sending daggers towards her. "...No, you're right, it's not. I'm sorry." she said quickly, ducking her head.

"Ha! They've got your number Torres!" she heard her best friend laugh from beside her, a burst of happiness that was short lived as the only cushion within arms reach came down upon his head. "Ow."


	8. Chapter 8

Later on, while Callie and Mark cooked the birthday girl's favorite (and requested) dinner of spaghetti and handmade meatballs with warm garlic bread on the side, Sofia kept her Mom and Aunt entertained in the living room with a fashion show of all her new clothes. With each new piece the women clapped and made a fuss like they'd never seen such wonderful colors or brilliant patterns before. Sofia even brought out her small, pink radio for musical accompaniment, on which Lexie gladly pushed start and stop when she was asked to.

"Okay, Mommy!" was heard from around the hallway entrance.

"And now, ladies and...well...Mark." Arizona announced with a smile. "For the main event!"

"That stopped being funny after the first three times, Blondie." came from the kitchen.

"I don't know, I kinda like it." his best friend smirked.

"Shut up, Torres."

"Daddy! You're rune-ing my fashion show!" the birthday girl huffed, her dark eyes glaring from around the door frame.

"It's ru-IN-ing, Baby girl." the blonde corrected with a small smirk. "And hush Mark." she called over the back of the couch.

"You started it!"

"Calliope, sweetie?" the dimpled queen asked, her voice dripping with honey.

"On it." her wife replied, right before a loud 'Ow' sounded from beside her.

"Thank you." Arizona smiled brightly.

"You got it, babe."

"A-HEM." Sofia cleared her throat from the doorway as she crossed her arms and put on her most serious face.

"I'm sorry, please continue." her mom smiled as she nodded.

"No. You don't get ta do it anymore 'cuz you're being a bad example" the child frowned as both Mark and Callie beamed from their places in the kitchen, although admittedly for different reasons. "Aunt Lexie, will you please do it? The RIGHT way." she added, with a glance to the blonde who simply smiled as innocently as possible.

"Oh...Okay!" the youngest Grey exclaimed as she handed the small pink radio to the Peds surgeon. "And now, FOR THE MAIN EVENT!" she announced, arms raised high in the air.

"Very nice." Arizona whispered to a very proud looking Little Grey before pushing the play button.

The apartment filled with cheers as Sofia made her last grand entrance of the night complete with a musical backdrop and strobe lighting as her mom grabbed a flashlight from the coffee table. Pulling her mother's over sized sunglasses down from her forehead, she proceeded to do a series of different poses showing off her new ensemble, making sure to use to incorporate the large purse she borrowed from her Aunt Lexie into her little show. Doing a last little twirl, the birthday girl gave a small curtsy towards her adoring audience before turning back towards her room, making sure to blow kisses on her way.

"She is so adorable!" Lexie exclaimed, turning towards the blonde. "Thank you guys so much for letting me be a part of this." she gestured around them. "Of your family I mean. Thanks for never treating me like the wicked step mother." she added, making a face.

"Of course, Sofia loves you!" Arizona smiled, padding the young woman's arm before getting up to go help their daughter change. "And we would never paint you as wicked, Lexie."

"You know, sometimes I do think about it..." Little Grey started, causing the blonde to turn back around. "Being a mom I mean." she smiled a little.

"I think you'd be a great mom." the Peds surgeon beamed. "Have you guys talked about it?" she nodded towards the kitchen, watching as the man in question inched his way closer to where her wife was stirring various concoctions.

"Well, I..."

Another cry of pain echoed throughout the cabinets as, once again, the Latina smacked her best friend's hand with a wooden spoon.

"Stay away from my sauce!" she growled.

"But I wanted to do the sauce!" Mark whined.

"No. You get to do the bread. Be happy I even let you do the bread!"

"Can't I just..."

"No."

"But I wanted to..."

"No!" they heard the brunette's voice rise slightly. "No sauce for you! Go stand over there!"

There was a huff and then the sound of feet being drug slowly to where they where told to be.

"Was waiting until your other half stops acting like a child themselves?" Arizona chuckled. "Yeah, there's no hope for those two." she smirked as she pulled the young woman with her towards Sofia's room to help with the mommy duties.

* * *

 

"So what do you want to now, Baby girl?" Arizona asked as she, Lexie and Sofia finished up the dinner dishes.

"I dunno, Mommy," Sofia shrugged. "I was gonna play with my new Justice Girl figures but I think I can wait my turn." she nodded towards where Callie and Mark were currently engrossed in an epic battle complete with action sounds on the back of the couch.

"I think that's very grown up of you." Lexie said, causing the child to beam as she dried the last dinner plate.

"You really think so?"

"Of course!"

"Oh, I agree." Arizona smiled. "More grown up than those two knuckleheads will ever be." she added as Mark's figure choke slammed Callie's while the Latina went into pouty face.

"Some people just never grow up." Sofia sighed dramatically as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey, now. Just don't get into too big of a hurry, please." Arizona said, her face becoming somewhat solemn. "I still need my Baby girl."

"Mommy, Imma always be your Baby girl!" the girl smiled brightly as she clung to her mom's waist, burying her face in the blonde's shirt.

A sudden chorus of 'Awwww.' rushed towards them and looking up Arizona could see both of the couch children's heads as they peeked over the back of the furniture and grinned. The blonde quickly shot them both a smile before leaning down and kissing her daughter's head as she squeezed her tighter.

"Thank you, Baby." she whispered into the long, dark hair. Suddenly, there was a quick flash. Glancing over, the Peds surgeon saw Lexie's own smile coming back into view as she lowered the device from her eye. 'Thank you.' Arizona mouthed over the birthday girl's head, smiling as the youngest Grey nodded. Pulling back slightly, she kissed the child's forehead gently before quickly reaching up to wipe her eyes, her grin growing as she watched the girl's other parents do the same.  
As their embrace ended, Sofia's brows fused. Her mom was crying and she wondered what happened. Everything was just fine a minute ago.

"What's wrong, Mommy?" she asked, grabbing a hold of the blonde's shirt and pulling her down to face level.

"Nothing, Sweetie. They're happy tears I promise." Her mom smiled as their eyes met. "Always happy tears for you, Baby girl."

"How 'bout no tears and more hugs and kisses?" the girl smiled her best Torres smile before reattaching herself and kissing the woman's cheek. Another round of 'Awwww's' filled the room as the couch children turned their head slightly away from each other and pretended they weren't getting a little misty eyed themselves.

"Okay, enough of this." Callie stated, wiping her eyes roughly before scrambling over the back of the couch. She barely allowed herself to land before she took off towards the kitchen, her sock covered feet sliding slightly as she rounded the corner of the counter top. "I want in on the love too!" she announced as she dropped to her knees and hugged their daughter, her arms coming around to rest on her wife's back.

"Me too!" Mark said, coming around the other side of the kitchen island. "I want some of the love!"

"GROUP HUG!" Sofia cheered happily as her father joined in. "You too, Aunt Lexie!"

"No that's okay, I'll just..."

"Oh, get over here, Little Grey!" the tallest brunette said, reaching back and pulling the young woman down into the pile.

As they cuddled together, the small family gladly shared the happiness of such a moment with one another, like a giant flower whose pedals would never wilt as long as they had each other. And at their very core, a lone child who bathed them all in love, equally and without end.

* * *

 

Some time afterwards, after all the hugs had been shared and the resulting tickle fest had come to it's giggling, out of breath, conclusion, they each happily helped one another back up. Or rather, they all happily helped until Mark was the only one left on the floor. And just as Arizona, Lexie and Sofia got him half way to his feet, a laughing Latina came out of no where to pushed him back down before raising her arms into the air and cheering as she spun around in a small circle. A short lived triumph indeed, as she was quickly taken down by the remaining three.

"Help! I'm being attacked!" Callie laughed as she tried her best to curl into the smallest ball possible as the tickle assault began anew.

"It's too late, Torres!" her best friend laughed along with the others as he tried to pull her arms away from their current blocking position. "You probably should have seen this coming." he added smugly.

"Oh, who asked you, Mark?" she shot back, sticking out her tongue as she reached over and pulled the bottom of his shirt up and over his head.

"Hey, hold on. I can't see!" he cried, waving his arms about.

Leaning over, Arizona whispered into the birthday girl's ear before laying half over her still wiggling wife to hold the large man's right leg in place, smiling as Lexie moved around the Latina to grab the other one.

"Here, Daddy, let me help you." Sofia said sweetly, just before making her move. Jumping forward slightly, she giggled as she tickled the big man's side.

"Hey, no fair!" he protested, even as his whole body shook with mirth.

Peeking out from between her fingers, Callie chuckled as she watched her best friend halfheartedly try to protect himself from the tickling fury that was the small child, before he simply reached out and picked her up. Growling playfully he rolled them to the side and made hungry bear noises as Sofia squealed happily.

Rolling to her knees, the former crime fighting side kick smirked as out of the corner of her eye she saw the look that had overrun the face of Mark's girlfriend. Nudging her wife gently, she waited for questioning blue eyes to meet her own before nodding towards the younger woman. Glancing past the brunette's magnificent mane for a second, the Peds surgeon turned back to meet dark eyes as they shared a knowing smile.

Turning back to the fun at hand, Arizona went back to laughing as their daughter gained the upper hand, climbing onto her father's back like a monkey.

"I am the winner!" Sofia exclaimed as she raised her arm that was not currently around the large man's neck into the air in celebration.

"She gets that from you." Arizona, Lexie and Mark all laughed simultaneously while pointing at the smirking Ortho goddess.


	9. Chapter 9

"Alright, Baby Girl I think it's getting pretty close to a certain someone's bedtime." Arizona stated as she watched her daughter yawn for the third time in so many minutes.

"Are you sure, Mommy? 'Cause I'm..." she yawned. "...Not sleepy at all."

"Way to prove your point." her mother giggled as she pulled the child to her feet. "Come on Mini me, go change and brush your teeth and your mom and I will read to you before bed." she said, pushing the girl gently in the right direction.

"Okay, Momma." Sofia yawned again before a sudden happy thought overtook her. "Can we read my new book?" she asked excitedly as her eyes widened and her smile grew.

"Of course we can, Baby girl!" the blonde smiled, helping Mark back to his feet as her wife helped Lexie.

"Fan-tastic!" the child cheered, making her way to her room.

"She said fantastic!" Mark beamed. "I think I'm her favorite." he stated as the rest of the group simply rolled their eyes.

"Yeah well, someone has to like you." the Peds surgeon grinned, chuckling as Lexie raised her hand. "You know, besides Little Grey."

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about." the plastics king grinned. "I'll have you know I'm on ATLEAST half a dozen 'top 5' lists at the hospital."

"Yeah...those aren't favorite lists, Sloan." the Latina smirked.

"At least Sofia loves me." the large man crossed his arms and pouted, turning his head away quickly as his best friend tried her best to grab his protruding bottom lip."Hey!" he said suddenly, slapping at the brunette's hand. "Can the munchkin stay over with us tonight? We're both off tomorrow and I know you two have to work mid shifts."

"Actually I think that's a great idea." Arizona smiled as her wife nodded. "What do you think Lexie?"

"Of course! Sofia's always welcome." the young woman smiled brightly.

"I'll get the tent!" Callie exclaimed before disappearing into the hallway.

"There's a TENT?" Mark's eyes grew.

"It's a Spongebob tent." the blonde explained. "Don't worry it's not that big. We were going to set it up for the girl's sleepover."

"There was going to be a sleepover?" Lexie's exclaimed excitedly. "How did she manage to talk you into that?"

"She had a chart." Arizona explained as she rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Of course she did." Mark chuckled.

"She gets that from you, Arizona." Lexie stated as she and her boyfriend laughed while the blonde simply shrugged.

"Okay, I'm ready!" Sofia announced, charging back into the living room clad in her favorite yellow character pajamas, her mask and prized cape still in place. The latter flapping behind her as she rounded the couch.

"Great job!" her mom beamed. "Now, how would you like to spent the night camping out with your Dad and Aunt Lexie?"

"Really?" the child bounced a little.

"REALLY. Really." the blonde smiled.

"AWESOME!" the birthday girl cheered. "Can we use the tent?"

"Actually, I was kind of thinking about using it." Callie replied, reentering the room with a small backpack in one hand and a duffel bag over the other shoulder.

"You won't fit!" Sofia giggled. "It's not made for grown ups."

"Who said anything about climbing into the thing? I was going to use it as a hat." her mother smiled brightly as she handed the larger bag to her best friend. "I bet it works great in rain storms."

"Momma, you're being silly." the girl smiled before yawning as she waited for the taller brunette to lean down.

"No, I'm being ridiculous."

"Same diff-rence." Sofia said, rolling her eyes. "Goodnight, Momma."

"Goodnight, mija. Sleep well." Callie smiled as they shared a hug and a goodnight kiss. "Oh! I got your overnight bag." she added, handing her daughter the small backpack which she simply eyed questionably before looking back to her mother.

"Imma be next door, Momma."

"Hey, a good soldier is always prepared, Mini me." the Latina grinned.

"Well played." Sofia smiled back, pulling on the backpack before turning to hug the blonde behind her. "Goodnight, Mommy."

"Goodnight, Baby girl." Arizona replied, kissing their daughter's forehead. "Try not to keep your Dad and Aunt Lexie up too late, alright?"

"Yes ma'am." the girl agreed before yawning loudly again.

"Come on sweetie, let's get you all settled in your tent before you fall asleep and we don't get a chance to read your new book." Lexie said, picking the birthday girl up.

"I'm awake! I'm AWAKE!" Sofia protested even as she rubbed her eyes.

"Yeah, we'll see just how long that lasts." Mark chuckled as they headed towards the door. "I give her until we reach the couch."

"I give her until they hit the hallway." the Latina smirked, nudging her wife gently, her grin growing as the blonde winked. They both leaned slightly towards the still open door to hear the outcome.

"Annnnd she's out." Mark stage whispered as he leaned back into the doorway. "Goodnight kiddies, see you tomorrow." he waved with a grin.

"Goodnight." they both replied before turning to pick up what was left of the birthday party mess.

* * *

 

"Dear lord, there's wrapping paper EVERYWHERE!" Callie cried as she brought her head out from under the middle couch cushion, waving her fist fulls about. "We could cut it up and have enough confetti for decades!" she stated while throwing ball after ball of wadded up paper behind her.

"Hey, what did I tell you about projectiles?" her wife warned as she started gathering them up, grumbling a bit when more than one landed on her head. Rolling her eyes, she simply sat back and opened her trash bag, grinning a bit as they made their own way in.

"I thought that only applied to children and couch cushions." the Latina smirked, pushing the cushion in her hand back into place before quickly flopping onto the couch. "Speaking of Mini me..." she started, turning her head to look at her wife upside down. "You think she had a good time today? I mean, I know this isn't exactly what she wanted..."

"Calliope our daughter is smart, she knows we tried our best. 'Always work hard, and try to find the good' right?" the blonde smiled, scooting closer and kissing the brunette's forehead.

"I suppose..." Callie agreed, narrowing her eyes a little. "Did you just quote my dad to me?"

"Maaaaybe." her wife giggled slightly before kissing the tip of her nose. "Didn't you quote mine to Sofia earlier?"

"That was different. I was using it to win an argument."

"With a child." Arizona pointed out, laughing as the Ortho goddess shrugged.

"Hey, someone's gotta do it. Besides..." she reached for the blonde's hand. "She takes after you. I have to win them while I still can." she smirked.

"I think you make an excellent point." the Peds surgeon grinned as she used her other hand to pull herself up to sit beside her love. "You should enjoy your victories while they last, Rockstar." she smirked as she was pulled down to lay half across the taller woman, her smile growing as she felt her new pillow kiss her forehead.

The Latina rubbed her thumb back and forth across the hand she was holding for a few moments before her face became suddenly thoughtful. "Do you think there will ever be a point where I'm too old to be a Badass?"

"You? Not a chance." Arizona stated, gently nuzzling her wife's neck. "Calliope Torres is and will forever be, a genuine Badass."

"A fact I will happily remind you of in the future when I want flames on the legs of my walker."

"Flames?" the blonde laughed. "REALLY, Calliope?"

"REALLY, Really." her wife grinned. "Imma be the baddest citizen the senior community has ever seen!" she proclaimed, raising a fist into the air.

"I'd argue with you but I could totally see that." Arizona chuckled as she lowered her voice. "'And now, the baddest granny that ever shuffled her way across the bingo hall, standing at a menacing five foot nine when she's not hunched over her walker, the Latina Xena, Calliope "I'm a frickin' Rockstar" Torres!'" she announced loudly before falling into a fit of giggles.

Callie rose her eyebrows and blinked a few times as she waited for the blonde to calm back down. "Are you quite finished?"

"Nope." the Peds surgeon grinned as a few more giggles surfaced.

The brunette rolled her eyes before slapping the other woman's upper thigh softly. "Alright then, come on Gabrielle, we still have cake to put away." she said as she started to get up, letting out a small yelp with her wife pushed her over the edge of the couch with a snicker.

Landing, she rolled slightly before stopping eye level with a piece of forgotten food. "We really should have made Mark vacuum." she mumbled into the carpet as she made a face. Picking up her newly found target of displeasure, she smirked before quickly flicking it towards the couch, laughing a little when she heard a loud 'HEY!' aimed in her direction.

She didn't have to turn her head to know a retaliation was in the making. Rolling forward suddenly, she felt a rush of air hit her back as a cushion came down hard behind her, followed quickly by a laughing blonde.

"We don't throw food." she stated before bringing her hand down swiftly to met the Latina's backside. "Bad Calliope!" she tsked before climbing to her feet and laughing her way towards the kitchen.

"OoO, maybe I should be bad more often then." Callie reasoned as she followed the Peds surgeon.

"Try it and see what happens." Arizona smirked wickedly as she licked some icing from her index finger before holding it out to the other woman. "You want some?"

"Since when have I ever said no to you and that sentence?" her wife smirked, pulling the icing covered finger into her mouth, wiggling her eyebrows as her tongue went to work.

"Not once." the shorter woman smiled, grabbing the front of the brunette's shirt and replacing her now clean finger with her lips.

A random thought had hit the blonde when she had first walked into the kitchen, but now, try as she may she couldn't quite place it since most of her thoughts were heading elsewhere at the moment. It tickled the back of her brain but refused to sink in completely. Something about cupcakes...

Pulling back slightly, Arizona's brows fused as she waited for dark eyes to meet her own. "Calliope?" she whispered against full lips as the Latina simply leaned further forward.

"Yeah?" her wife whispered back as she turned her head slightly to kiss her way down the blonde's neck.

"When were you going to tell me the cake was at Mark's the whole time?" she rose an eyebrow as wide eyes came back into view.

"I...umm..."

"Yeah, go ahead, see if you can dig yourself in deeper." Arizona laughed. "I can't believe you had me track down Miranda Bailey for sprinkled decoy cupcakes when the very thing they were decoying was across the hall!" she exclaimed, smacking the brunette's arm lightly.

"I'm sorry, baby." the Latina apologized, complete with pouty lip and her best puppy dog eyes. "I just really..."

"Like cupcakes. Yes, we know." her wife finished for her, rolling her eyes.

"Forgive me?" Callie's eyes turned hopeful as she smiled the sweetest smile she could manage causing the blonde to giggle.

"Of course, ya big goofball." the Peds surgeon said, kissing the taller woman's nose before wrapping her arms around her neck "Besides, I think it makes us just about even."

"Yes, I absolutely agree. ABSOLUTELY." her wife nodded enthusiastically briefly before stopping suddenly. "Wait. What?"

"What? No. Nothing. Nothing at all." Arizona said quickly before ending their embrace to turn and close the cake container. Moving fast, she slid towards the fridge on her socks before placing it inside.

"What. Did. You. Do?"

Turning, the blonde put on her most innocent smile as she slowly backed a few feet away, narrowed eyes following her every movement. "I didn't do anything except supply a wildly imaginative child with a bright pink tiara...Princess." she added quickly before dropping down behind the relative safety of the kitchen island just in case she forgot to put away any cushions.

"I JUST KNEW YOU HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THAT!"

"I THOUGHT YOU LOOKED REALLY CUTE, CALLIOPE!" she called back around the corner.

"I looked fabulous, but that's not the point!" Callie said, climbing halfway onto the counter top to look down to where her wife was hiding. While blonde curls were doing their best to peek around the corner, she leaned down as far as she could without going over head first. "You made me a sidekick!" she exclaimed near the blonde's ear, making the Peds surgeon jump.

"What? I did not!" Arizona argued while pushing her wife's pouty face away, giggling a little as the taller woman had to flail a bit to keep from toppling over as she repositioned herself to climb back down. "Sofia chose you for the job and I for one think you made an exceptional side kick." she smiled.

"Both are true." her wife smirked as she stood back up, helping the blonde do the same. "But I still wanted a mask." she pouted slightly. "Mark and Little Grey got masks."

"Mark and Lexie were henchmen and didn't even get real names." Arizona pointed out. "Besides, if you want a mask so bad, you can have mine." she added, reaching over and picking up her own abandoned playtime prop from it's place on the table. "There. Now you have a mask."

"This is a evil doer's mask." the former side kick stated, making a face. "Besides, I think it looks much better on you." she added with a smile as she put it over blonde curls, leaving it to settle on the shorter woman's forehead. "There you are, Dr. Dimples." she grinned. "Ready to go forth and WREAK HAVOK!"

"That's the EVIL Doctor Dimples to you, drama queen."

"Hey! Don't make me take you into custody ya dirty cupcake thief!" the brunette warned as she placed her brightly colored crown upon her head.

"Bring it on!" the villain challenged, pulling her large black mask down onto it's rightful place. "You'll have to catch me first!" she laughed as she took off in the direction of their room, moving faster as the Latina took chase.

"You better hope I don't find the handcuffs!" Callie laughed as she rounded the corner, quickly gaining on the blonde.

Outside the frosted windows, the snow had stopped falling hours ago as the storm had long since passed, but the day was done and over with so the sun readied itself for the day to come. After all, it had much darkness to make up for and a lot of snowmen construction to oversee. 

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I am aware that there is A LOT of talking going on, probably more than need be, really. But, as I myself am quite the chatterbox, I suppose it was bound to happen. After all, 'conversations' is in the title, so I'm chalking it up to fair warning. Besides, I was going to do the story through interpretive dance, but quite frankly, I just couldn't get it to work out on paper.


End file.
